


East of Eden

by TeenageCriminalMastermind



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: I will try to keep it canon, dilton is ace y'all, taking off from episode 4
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-04
Updated: 2017-11-14
Packaged: 2019-01-29 05:08:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12623960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeenageCriminalMastermind/pseuds/TeenageCriminalMastermind
Summary: Riverdale, the town that now dreads sundown.Enter our two new residents, a 24 year old man with daddy issues and a score to settle, and a teenager with a break from school and a mystery to solve.





	1. Way Down We Go

**_They drove in on a rainy day, of all days._ **

“How far?” Sophia was rattling her near-empty cup, trying to catch any remaining strains of the tea she had purchased from a Starbucks.  _ God, their fruit teas are gorgeous _ . 

“Five minutes. We’re near Pop’s now.” She pressed her face to the glass, trying to catch a look of the oft-quoted restaurant. 

“Will we stop there right now?”

“That would be #1 on our checklist, so yes.” The blonde smiled at her, turning his eyes back to the road. “You’ll love the cheese fries.”

“I’m looking forward to a cup of pitch black coffee.”

“Sure, but the fries are the real MVPs.” They turned, the rain now angled straight at the car’s windshield. A few seconds later, they took another turn, the car stopping in front of the diner. The place looked straight out of the 50’s, neon sign and decor complete. The bell jingled as they entered, the only person inside the man behind the counter. 

“What can I get you two?” He looked kindly, a hand resting on a mop’s handle. 

“A dark roast and a vanilla milkshake with a burger and cheese fries.” The man nodded, disappearing behind the kitchen doors. The two of them took a booth by the door, her companion pulling out his phone, a look crossing his face as he texted furiously. 

“Will you stop that!” she swatted his arm. “I swear to God, if this is your latest Grindr date,”

“And what would give you that idea, sister dear?”

“You haven’t been able to keep your hands off of him since your first date a fortnight back, and I accidentally walked in on you two asleep in nothing. Like, literally nothing. Straight up buck nude and I get that it is your bedroom, but what happened to the sock on your door?”

“I was out of socks.” He grinned, thanking Pop as he took the hefty tray, dividing the fries.

“Bullshit - clean or dirty or smelly as hell, you have to have had socks. Didn’t your boyfriend have a sock?”

“Alex wore sandals without socks that night. And what were you even doing in my room?”

“Chic,” she paused to take a sip from the steaming cup, “remember how you borrowed my laptop the night before because yours was too slow to run some sample code? Well, I needed it back.” 

“I apologise. And, to revert to our original argument, it is Alex, my latest Grindr date. He wants to meet up.” 

“You’re here for work, and last I checked, you were hell bent to get this shit solved.” At that, her brother’s face darkened, a sharp contrast with his usual vanilla-milkshake personality.

“And we will. Good thing you chose homeschooling, isn’t it?”

“Damn straight.” The rest of their meal went in silence, most of the fries unfinished. “Can we get these packed?”

A brown packet in one hand and umbrella in the other, Sophia walked back to the car. Shutting the umbrella was a trying task, especially since she was half in the vehicle while doing so and the rain had only intensified. 

“Next time, just make a run for it, kiddo.” The car’s engine rumbled, the sound soothing her. It was a pet sound of hers, something that was a part of her happy place.

“There are Michelin quality fries in this packet, and while I like them soggy, I don’t eat drowned in the rain potato fingers.”

“Amen to that.” He set the playlist to one of his Daily Mixes, Zella Day’s voice a perfect setting for the situation- and town - they were driving into.

* * *

 

**_Dilton was currently having a shitty day._ **

He’d been stabbed in his right thigh, and his dad was getting more worked up about it than he would like him to be. “This should not stand!” which was a pet phrase of it at home, was now getting attention outside of it.

“I will ensure that action is taken, Peter,” Sheriff Keller replied, his voice trying to be reassuring but miserably failing. Which, to be honest, was expected - which small town cop foresaw dealing with this much crap in that short a span of time?

“We have an investigator coming in from DC - once he takes on the Black Hood’s case, I will ensure that Dilton’s attacker faces justice.” Really, this wasn’t required for a school morning, but here they were nevertheless.

He made his way back to school, his mother dropping him off with countless “if you ever need anything, ask me or your father” and ‘stay vigilant, baby’s. Most of the general population ignored him, with the occasional gossip monger cornering him for details of the attack, but it had been forty eight hours since the encounter happened and really, he just wanted to attend calc and physics and have a goddamn normal day. 

Which was obviously not what God intended, because Cheryl Blossom and her powdered nose couldn’t resist a whiff of gossip. If it were any other day, he would indulge the ginger’s curiosity and even lend her his notes, but not today. 

_ How many times have I thought of those two words by now? _

“Not now, and not today,” he found a comfortable spot in the student lounge and pulled out his English book, Big Brother’s blue eye staring back at him. A minute later, the girl’s hand slid down to his thigh, and he groaned. 

“For the nth time, Cheryl,” he muttered angrily. 

“I know, I know, you’re ace and not interested in fucking anyone,” she waved her hand at him in utter dismissal. “But that was to just get your attention, not that I wouldn’t take you up on the offer, if it presented itself,” he looked at him approvingly. 

“What now? Trouble in math? Chem?”

“I know you’ve been hanging out with Andrews and his gang of muscled meatheads who think they can stop a homicidal maniac with a bunch of tackles.”

“And?” He stared at the board for a minute, voluntarily answering one of Jameson’s questions. 

“I think I know something that you would want to.”

“And that would be?”

“A clue to the killer’s identity.”  _ That is new _ . He looked at her, beckoning to go on. “A little birdy told me that the psycho has a thing for the town’s friendly neighbourhood milkshake blonde.”

“Betty Cooper?”

“The one and only.” 

“A thing, as in…”

“Her very own Talking Heads’ Psycho Killer. Her very own avenging angel.”

“And how in the fresh hell do you know this shit?” He whispered as a gaggle of freshmen walked past. 

“Well, she shows up at town hall with that ghoul of a boyfriend of hers and demands that everyone leave, saying that the killer has stated that to be his next target. How does she know that? Well, her mom published that cipher code, which little Miss Cooper evidently cracked, and that panicky look on her face that makes everything look like her fault didn’t help her case.”

“So you’re hypothesizing that the killer is doing this for Betty.” Winston and Julia could wait - this was a lot more interesting than English homework now. 

“The Coopers receive both the letter and the cipher, and the killer targeted people close to our very own Archie Andrews, who broke little Betty’s heart.

“What of Midge and Moose? They haven’t exactly broken Betty’s heart, and Andrews isn’t even that great friends with the pair.” Cheryl scrunched her face in annoyance, glaring at him.  _ I’m just stating the facts. _

“That’s not the point. The point is, Cooper has something to do with it, and I have a feeling that the killer is obsessed with her.” And despite how dramatic Blossom’s story sounded, Dilton could not help but think that fair chunk of it was based on sound logic.

Which meant that he would taking a trip to the Southside pretty soon.

* * *

 

“Here we are,” Chic waved his hands at the studio apartment they’d rented at the border of the two parts of the city. For a town this small and quaint-looking there were some strong West Side Story rivalry vibes here. 

Sophia dumped their bags in their respective rooms, flopping down on the couch in the hall.

Twenty minutes later, Chic emerged from the bathroom, dressed in his work attire. “Right - I’ll be heading to the police station. Stay smart and keep that Victorinox and pepper spray on you, you get that?”

“It can’t be that bad,” she looked up at him - the solemnity on his face was far from helpful.

“The Southside is not a place you should fuck around with.”

“Will keep that in mind.”

She was pretty sure she’d thrown that rule out of the metaphorical window when she ended up alone, defending a wounded Northside kid against a gangbanger - all on the wrong side of town. 


	2. Chapter 2

**_The Southside was neglected, first of all._ **

It looked like a town that fell apart - patched up stores with bits of wood dangling off, ready to fall apart, nails and all. She walks by a bodega, the store old and signs faded. The owner gives her a cursory glance, a wary look on his face before he turns back to the register. 

A few boys go by on their bikes, eyeing her curiously. One of them kept looking at her as she turned a corner -  _ ignore, and you’ll be fine _ . Apparently, the Southside was the hub of all of the city’s drug activity, their poisoned core -  _ but Riverdale’s core, nevertheless _ . She wrapped her scarf a little tighter around her neck, the wind nipping at her face. 

She decided to return to the bodega she’d crossed, the man giving her the same wary glance as before. She picked up a couple of packets of ramen and a few packets of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos before approaching the counter. “You Northsiders get more and more courageous every single day,” the cash register dinged, the amount flashing on its screen. “That will be 8.50.”

“I’m not from Riverdale,” she declares, placing exact change in his palm. His expression changes a little.

“Well, it’s not everyday that the town gets a visitor, much less the Southside. But then, I don’t recognise this new Riverdale anymore anyways.”

“My brother lived here for a while,” she adds, hoping to build some sort of connection. 

“What’s his name?” 

“Chic Summers.”

“Those Summers were some smart folks - left this city when the time was still right.” With no idea as to where the conversation would now go, she gave up any further attempts, choosing to leave. 

It was evening, and the sun had long set. Sophia was on her way back to their apartment when the same group of bikers passed by. The same guy who had stared at her before - the tallest of them (probably their leader, too), got off, looking at her with a gaze that was far more a clinical survey than anything lecherous. 

“Not a good time to be out and about, especially for someone who isn’t from around here.” He looms above her, lips pulled in a cruel sneer.

“How about you Serpent trash leave her alone,” a voice called out from behind. A spectacled boy approached them, a limp clear in his gait. 

“Look who’s here,” the tall guy announced. “Riverdale High’s psycho Sherlock. Looking for a new case, Doiley?”  _ What sort of a surname is Doiley? _

“Dude, just leave the girl alone. Last I checked, she wasn’t plunging switchblades in people’s knees.”

“How about you -” he emphasised his point by jabbing his index finger in the latter’s chest “- get the fuck out of here.” Which seemed like a good time for her to step into this, given how Doiley was shrinking back, the fear slowly covering his face.

“Hey, hey,” she stood between the two, hands extended on both sides. “He’s speaking to me. I think that makes it my problem.” At that, the tall guy laughed, the same cruel sneer directed at this spectacled kid. 

“You can tell she’s not from this town - this girl’s got balls bigger than any Northsider.” 

She turned to the Serpent, looking up at his face. “And I’ll also tell you to leave him alone - I don’t know what your issues are, but he’s clearly being dumb, so be the smarter man and let him go.”

“Hey, just because I think you’re brave doesn’t mean I don’t think you’re dumb,” he turned to her. “You know nothing, so get going and don’t come back here.”

“But that’s exactly what I’m here to do,” she steeled her face. “I’m here to know shit about this town, so it would be a great help if you could speed that up.”

“Well, here’s the lowdown,” he turned to look at Dilton, “he comes from the side of hypocrites - the liars, thieves and murderers that hide behind picture-perfect families, McMansions and progress that comes at the cost of us - the blight of the town,” his face hardens, “the sickness that, in their eyes, is killing it.” The rest of his gang is now standing behind him, and Sophia feels terribly outdone. “Except it isn’t - at least the Southside understands the concepts of loyalty and trust. It’s not a place where fathers go killing sons and wives throw literal bricks at husbands.”

The air was thick with tension, and Sophia registered every word with care.

“What’s happening here?” A new person joined this ever increasing group, his beanie dangling on his head precariously. “Who’s this?” He looks at her, then turned to Doiley. “Dilton, I thought you weren’t stupid.”

“She’s new to Riverdale - I was giving her the welcome tour.” The boy looked at her, a similar sort of inquiring gaze. 

“Let them go, Sweet Pea - we’re not getting into any more fights if we can avoid that. Dilton, get out of here - take her with you. And both of you, don’t come back here.” 

She turned in the direction of her lodgings, walking fast. “Hey, hey,” the boy - Dilton - clutched her arm.

“What?”

“Why did you go there?” 

“Because, unlike you,” she shook her arm free, groceries clutched tight in the other hand. “I’m not biased or have pre-existing opinions about these folks, and want to learn their truth, not just the one fed as standard town fare. In fact,” she turns to him with narrowed eyes, “why were you there, given that you were a direct recipient of their actions?” 

“... It’s a long story.”  _ This is an opportunity _ . 

“I want to hear it.” 

“There’s a diner not very far from here -”

“Pop’s - I know,” she thinks of the coffee, its smell still strong in her memory. “Fabulous fries, I have to say.”

“Seeing that you already know,” he shoves his hands into the pockets of his jacket, “I think we’ll have no problem ordering, will we?”

They walk for about twenty minutes, Sophia following Dilton till the neon sign was clearly visible. The place a lot busier now - there are servers rushing about, trays and paper bags all over the place. 

“The usual for me, Pop, and…”

“A cup of dark roast and a cheeseburger for me.” They sit in a booth closer to the back of the place, Sophia quickly texting her whereabouts to her brother -  _ better to have him with his mind at ease and not picturing me in a gutter _ . 

“Do you want to hear it all from the start?” Dilton is playing around with a small blue stress ball, fist clenching and unclenching in a rhythmic motion.

“Take it from the top.”

“Okay,” He takes a deep breath, looking straight at her now. “so all this began when the town’s golden boy, Jason Blossom disappeared.”

“More background, please?” There is a tiny click as she presses the ‘record’ button on Chic’s ancient recorder.  _ Ancient, yet effective _ . 

“Jason was the only male child of the Blossom family, and also the golden child for Clifford and Penelope Blossom. Perfect grades, captain of the football team, on track to be Riverdale High’s valedictorian, all that stuff. And then on the 4th of July, his sister and he go boating, and he disappears. I found his sister Cheryl soaking wet on the rocks, shivering and out of her mind.” 

He stops to take a sip of his minute-old espresso, taking a deep whiff before resuming. “They searched Sweetwater River, combed it up and down, but found nothing. Until over a few weeks later, when Jason’s body washed up in Sweetwater River with a bullet in his forehead.”

“I’m supposing the case was immediately picked up again by the police.” 

“Yep - a full blown investigation resumed; but it wasn’t the police that unmasked the killer’s identity. It was a couple of students from Riverdale High.”

“How did they get there?”

“Well, the sister of one of them was dating Jason. She was pregnant, and the two were going to run away somewhere when Jason disappeared - apparently, upon hearing of Jason’s fate, she was sent to a home for troubled youths. But she’s back here in RIverdale. At least, she was, till a few days back.”

“And where is she now?”

“Ran away to God knows where. I assume her family knows, because they sure as hell aren’t making any fuss to get her back. Anyhow, after the body was found, a number of suspects cropped up. Turns out, many people could be out for Jason’s blood for a number of different reasons. First guess was a Serpent who could have killed because of a deal gone sour between them and his father. The other was Hiram Lodge.” 

“The Ponzi scheme guy who just got out?” Chic had another case to investigate, if they wished to extend their stay in Riverdale. 

“Yes.” Dilton chewed a fry meditatively while Sophia concentrated on her burger and coffee. The town was starting to look a lot more murkier and shady than its exterior suggested -  _ almost like Twin Peaks, minus the Black Lodge stuff _ . But who knew? That could be a thing here too. “Hiram and Clifford Blossom were business partners, and Clifford sold Hiram out. It was natural to think that Hiram would go after Jason.”

“True.”

“But turns out, Daddy Blossom was the one that killed his son.” While disturbing for sure, Sophia could think of reasons as to why Clifford Blossom would be compelled to off his own kid. “The Blossoms were using their maple business as a front for drug trade and trafficking, and Jason got a whiff of that. His parents were totally okay with him dating his cousin, though.” There she had it. 

“So, that girl who ran away, was his cousin?” This place kept getting stranger, that was for sure. 

“Yes - the families have a common link a century back, where the Coopers and Blossoms became two separate clans. So Jason and Polly would be second or third cousins, I guess. Any how, a few days after that, Jason’s sister tried to commit suicide, and a day later the family home caught fire. But the story doesn’t end here.” Oh, she knows. That’s exactly what she and her brother are here for. 

“Go on.”

“A day after that, Fred Andrews was shot here in Pop’s by a masked man known as the Black Hood. A day or so later, he killed a former Riverdale High teacher and a day after that, he tried to kill two RIverdale High students. Three days back, he targeted the Town Hall meeting, but that was thwarted due to some quick code-cracking.”

“He published a code?” 

“A cipher detailing where he would strike next.”

“And how did you stabbed?” 

“A Southsider jumped me.”

“What for?”

“No reason.” Somehow, she couldn’t believe that the people who were guarded enough to not retaliate after Dilton’s many taunts would stab him without a justification.

“Alright then.” She could see a bit of ground coffee in the last swirls before she downed it all, pretending to stuff her phone in her backpack as she stopped the recorder. “Thanks for the detailed report.” Sophia opened the backpack again, digging around for her wallet when a pale, thin hand stopped her. 

“Hey - let me get that. It’s just a single coffee and a cheeseburger.” There was a flicker of kindness behind those previously hardened eyes. 

“I’d rather pay for my own food, thanks.”

“You saved my neck out there.” 

“Which obviously merits more than just a coffee and a burger, Doiley.”

Dilton smiled, playing with the cuff of his jacket. “And this is the first of many installments.”  _ Well, if someone wants to pay for my meal so badly and stay indebted, I guess I should just let them _ . 

“Okay, then.” She headed for the door, adjusting the straps of her backpack as she did a mental check of all the stuff in it, along with the pack of groceries. 

“I’ll see you around school?” He called out.

“You may,” Sophia smiled amusedly, “or not.”


End file.
